500-yr-old bags of gunpowder found

JAISALMER: Over 1,500kg of gunpowder in five leather bags has been found near the Jain temple in the Sonar fort of Jaisalmer, made famous by Satyajit Ray's film 'Sonar Kella'.

The explosive is expected to be 500-years-old. The district administration has sought the Army's help to destroy it.

Jaisalmer Vikas Samiti secretary Chandra Prakash Vyas said the gunpowder was found in a closed 'burj' (tower) on Wednesday night by some labourers engaged in repair work. The 'burj' was closed for centuries.

On getting the information, local authorities vacated nearby areas. Historian Nand Kishore Sharma said the explosives could be dated back to the time of Maharaj Loonkaran Singh in 1550 when the use of cannon was started.

He said that even today five big cannons are kept at the sonar fort in Jaisalmer and generally the explosives were stored near the cannons. Possibly the explosives were stored in burj near the cannon placed near the Jain temple and on Thursday it has come to light. The burj was lying closed for last many years.